The British government wants to offer migrants arriving in Britain illegally to leave voluntarily for Rwanda, the Home Office said today, reportedly willing to pay them up to £3,000 to settle in the African country.

London has drawn up a plan for nearly two years to deport migrants who arrive in Britain illegally to Rwanda, before their asylum claims have even been processed, whether they agree or not. This plan is extremely controversial and was even condemned by the UN.

For British Conservative Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, this is an “urgent national priority”. However, no plane carrying migrants has so far left for Rwanda.

After several setbacks in the judiciary, a new draft law is currently being considered by parliament, where it faces strong opposition in the House of Lords, the upper house of the British parliament.

However, another agreement with Kigali could henceforth allow migrants to leave on a voluntary basis for Rwanda, the interior ministry announced today, confirming information from the Times.

“We are looking into the possibility of voluntarily sending to Rwanda those (migrants) who have no right to be here,” a ministry spokesman said.

Rwanda “is ready to welcome people who want to rebuild their lives and who cannot stay in the UK,” he added.

The spokesman clarified that last year 19,000 people were “voluntarily deported from Britain”, without specifying where they came from, where they went or why they were irregular.

The new deal concerns migrants whose asylum claim has been rejected and therefore cannot stay in Britain legally, but neither can they return to their country of origin.

According to the British newspaper “Times”, migrants can receive up to 3,000 pounds (about 3,509 euros) to agree to leave for Rwanda. They will receive support from the Rwandan authorities for a period of up to 5 years, mainly for housing.

This new system could mainly concern immigrants coming from Afghanistan or Iran, according to the newspaper.

“Even the government recognizes that their plan (to deport migrants to Rwanda) has no chance of succeeding, to the extent that they are proposing to pay people to go there,” said opposition Labor MP Stephen Kinnock.

The British government says Rwanda is a “safe” country. But human rights groups accuse its president Paul Kagame of ruling in a climate of fear, stifling dissent and freedom of expression.